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RFL: I mentioned that we needed to make some commitment on things to improve, and I
made that as part of us improving our rate increase. It was an election season and the
Mayor did not want to be the one called out as the one doing the increase. My
professional reputation was tainted due to the rate increases. Small town politics at its
worst.

3. How many employees do you supervise? Who do you report to?

250 employees in department. I reported to the Executive Director.

4. Please describe your experience in public sector executive management and leadership.

I mentioned that I started in the Wastewater field in the Engineering consultant. I moved from
wastewater to drinking water in the public sector. Most of my 25+ years of experience is in the
public sector. I worked for a City and for independent districts. The environments are a little
different. The City Council tends to not be as educated as a water board so you need to approach
them in a certain way. Private water districts have an elected board so their knowledge is greater.
I've had both experiences. As far as my leadership skills, I prioritize public safety, water quality,
financial discipline and customer service. I have never, for example, had a violation of water
quality. Customer service is very high in my priorities. The way I manage my staff, I have a
tendency to manage by teams. Identify the problem. Put together the team, check on them from
time to time, give them measurable goals and milestones. I manage by consensus mostly. But
sometimes you have no time to manage by consensus so I become more of a directive. I'll make
decisions and stand by them. On the other end of the spectrum there is always opportunities to
build leadership skills at all levels. I tend to use leadership to delegate and build leadership skills
throughout the organization.

My tendency is to highlight the important aspects of the utility. Protect the environment, public
safety, and manage by consensus.

5. This position requires staff to work between multiple divisions of the Department and multiple
City departments. How would you enable your organization to deliver an increasingly cohesive
customer experience internally, including clarity, timeliness, and responsiveness?

Everybody needs to buy into the direction of the organization. Explaining and making clear what
the big picture is allows employees to not only perform well in their core responsibilities, but also
contribute to the overarching goals of the organization. I take the time to educate employees on
the big picture and what the responsibility of the organization is and what their relationship
should be with each other internally.
I tend to look for a balance between internal focus and externally. People make priorities every
day throughout the day, we only have 8 hours a day. I want to make sure the priorities match
those of the organization.